The Blog

"I served in the military in Cyprus, where it is mandatory for all men to do so. After your service, everyone knows what’s going on. Everyone has shared a similar experience and for years afterwards telling army stories is part of the every day dialogue in Cypriot society. I couldn't fathom that this vast contingent of service members in the US were being misunderstood - and worse, judged - by people who had not shared their experiences, or had a view that was informed by stereotypes."

Minos Papas, director of Tango on the Balcony was interviewed by the WE ARE MOVING STORIES blog. Read the full interview here.

Eleni Sakellis of the Greek National Herald covered the July 2016 private screening of Tango on the Balcony for Cast, Crew and Funders in this lovely article.

the beginning of the film's festival circuit career was reported by the national herald newspaper. Click on the image to read the article.

I knew I had to adjust fire and accept my new mission... The story of transition is complex and is not easily articulated. Myself and Tribeca award winning director Minos Papas have attempted to fill the gap between Hollywood narratives and Indie documentary portrayals of PTSD afflicted servicemen and women with our release of Tango on the Balcony, a short film about a veteran suffering from an exacerbated PTSD episode in New York City. The film’s world premiere will be at the GI Film Festival.

— Co-Producer Michael Day on the Mission Continues Blog: http://www.missioncontinuesblog.org/service-through-a-different-lens/

Minos Papas and Michael Day gave an interview about Tango on the Balcony on Toginet Radio's Military Network Radio. It's now live on their podcast. We had a great discussion with host Linda Kreter, the founder and CEO of WiseHealth, Inc., a company focused on military and veteran family support and comprehensive health and wellness. Listen here: http://bit.ly/MNRintvw.

Benjamin Patton, youngest grandson of General George S. Patton and the Founder & Executive Director of the I WAS THERE...

A thank you message from Minos and Michael to all our funders so far. Find out about our upcoming web series which will present our partner organizations, their missions and their reasons for supporting "Tango". Coming Soon!

In a new blog entry, writer/director Minos Papas outlines why he is making a film on Veterans and PTSD.

"Tango on the balcony" • why I am making a film about veterans & ptsd • by minos papas • click the image to read the blog.

Director Minos Papas was interviewed by Oded Grober of Israel's i24News Culture program where they discussed "Tango on the Balcony", PTSD, the movie American Sniper and countries where serving in the military is mandatory.

In a brave and intimate blog post, Co-producer of "Tango on the Balcony", Veteran Marine and Warrior Writer Michael Day exposes a first hand, personal story of PTSD: Click here to read.

"Tango on the Balcony"'s director Minos Papas was up at Fort Drum participating as a film instructor in the latest filmmaking workshop for Veterans and Service Members. This workshop affords Veterans a way to express themselves by making a film, collaborating in a group and listening to their stories. We had quite a few emotional moments as, through their films, some Veterans expressed the challenges of PTSD, PTSD's effects on family, loss of colleagues in combat, abuse, and military life in general. It was overall very moving and cathartic. The photos below give us an insight (and a happy kitten rescue story!) into the week at the workshop (but details have not been included for reasons of privacy). Watch this space for the Vetrans' films, which will be available online soon.

The workshop begins...

Discussing the power of storytelling with Veterans and Service Members at the I Was There Filmmking workshop at Fort Drum.

Fort Drum

Director Minos Papas was part of the I Was There Films instructor team that travelled to Fort Drum to teach Filmmaking to Veterans and Service Members.

The Fort Drum Museum

Fort Drum has a unique museum with lots of preserved military vehicles...

The Fort Drum Museum

...including tanks!

Another Tank!

Home of the Tenth Infantry

On the Tenth Infantry insignia, two crossed bayonets form a Roman Numeral "X".

Discussing Filmmaking

Talking about the importance of storytelling and the power of film.

The IWT Team

The I Was There team interacts with the class. Center frame, Benjamin Patton the leader of the Patton Veteran Project.

The process begins...

Participants break up into groups and start to discuss concepts for their films.

Brainstorming

Editing

Editing the films...

Listening

Listening to Veterans' experiences is one of the pillars of the workshops' philosophy.

The Final Screening

Veterans and their families gather to watch the finished films.

Veterans and now Filmmakers

Two Veterans discuss the experience of collaborating and making their film.

Uh oh...

What's that stuck in the Museum's Cobra helicopter?

?

A paw..?

Kitten!

A little kitten go itself stuck in the museum's cobra helicopter!

Hungry little one.

We gave it some milk...

Help

...was soon on the way...

Free!

Free at last.

Free!

...and in good hands.

Cobra

A fitting name... It's either that or Chopper!

A Tour of the Base

We were lucky enough to get a grand tour of the base between workshops.

M4

Under close, professional supervision we were allowed to handle some of the standard issue equipment...

The IWT Team and Veterans

The whole team and class.

06/01/15 to 06/08/15 • 20% Funded!

Our first week of the Tango on the Balcony crowd funding campaign on Rocket Hub found us at the 20% mark, with over $10,000 in contributions from approximately 150 funders. The launch and first week of any crowd funding campaign is very important and we are thankful to know that we have a strong following of believers! A huge thank you to all the contributors in this first period of funding.

Justin Corbett of greybearcomincs.com reviews TANGO ON THE BALCONY at the Houston's Worldfest.

Tango on the Balcony is one of, if not THE BEST, portrayals of PTSD I’ve seen in film or television. As a viewer, you feel the constant tension and readiness to react that the character is experiencing throughout the entire film. On top of that, you experience his self-doubt about the things he did during the war, and watch as he tries to find a way to cope with a truth he doesn’t want to face.